Singer-songwriter Carole King’s rise to stardom and unforgettable list of hit songs will mark a century of Huddersfield performances for one local theatre company this month.
Members of Longwood Theatre Productions will be bringing the swinging 60s and 70s to Lawrence Batley Theatre from October 8 to 12 with their latest production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
Beautiful tells the inspiring true story of Carole King’s rise to stardom, from schoolgirl to superstar. The musical charts the ups and downs that saw her go from one half of a hit song-writing duo to one of the biggest singer-songwriters in history.
Carole, played by Helen Claire Rose, fought her way into the record industry aged just 17. By age 20 she had the husband of her dreams Gerry Goffin – played by Samual Maurice – and was writing No1 hits for some of the biggest acts in rock ‘n’ roll including The Drifters, The Shirelles, Aretha Franklin and The Monkees.
Beautiful charts her incredible rollercoaster journey and the couple’s close friendship and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann (played by Ben Maffin) and Cynthia Weil (played by Jessica Faye), with unforgettable classics including You’ve Got a Friend, One Fine Day, So Far Away, Take Good Care of My Baby, Up on the Roof, You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, and Natural Woman.
Longwood Theatre Productions director Martin Stead said the award-winning show, based on the book by Douglas McGrath, was guaranteed to have audiences’ feet tapping.
“We’re delighted to be bringing this sensational musical to Huddersfield for what is an extra-special year for Longwood as we celebrate 100 years of entertaining audiences in Huddersfield,” he said.
“Our group has gone from strength-to-strength over the years and we’re delighted to mark this rich history with such an inspiring and heart-stopping musical.
“We really hope audiences will enjoy what we have in store and continue to support Longwood as they have done for the last century.”
Longwood’s latest production comes following the success of their 2023 show Ghost The Musical at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.
Tickets for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which runs from October 8 to 12, are available from the theatre by visiting thelbt.org.
